


Just Business

by IAmTheWinterAssassin



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Attempted Sexual Assault, Blow Jobs, Cyberpunk 2077, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fuck Buddies to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Joygirl au, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Read Chapter Notes, Sex Work, Soft Jackie is best Jackie, Taking this character and universe and running with it, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:21:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26539525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmTheWinterAssassin/pseuds/IAmTheWinterAssassin
Summary: When Jackie Welles calls for a Joygirl for the first time, Vesper shows up to meet his needs, if only it was just business.
Relationships: Female V/Jackie Welles, V/Jackie Welles
Comments: 13
Kudos: 232





	1. Just Business

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit of an au where my V starts as a Joygirl instead of just a Streetkid, thank you for reading!

Heywood wasn’t foreign to Vesper, quite the contrary really since her home was only a few blocks from the apartment she currently stood in front of. The streets were still alive with the sounds of sirens and voices of people out late smoking in the dying heat of late evening. There was a beep and a click and the door slid partially open, on the other side was a man that took up nearly the entire doorway. He was definitely much bigger than she had expected, but it wasn’t a problem really, his hair was cut in the samurai style that had become popular in Night City, and he wore a heavy leather coat over his thick shoulders. He smiled at her and while his size could be described as intimidating, he seemed charming in that moment.

“You must be Mr. Welles,” she said.

He opened the door fully to her and stepped back allowing her into the small apartment.

“Yeah, you can call me Jackie,” he replied.

She stepped in and surveyed the room as he closed the door behind her. It was a tiny bachelor’s unit, with a bed on one side and a small kitchenette on the other, pretty standard for Heywood’s cramped complexes. She had definitely seen worse. She stopped her observation of the room and turned to her client.

“You want a drink?” he asked, moving to the small fridge stuffed under a countertop that was filled with trinkets and snacks.

“That’d be great, thanks,” she said dropping her bag by the bed and taking a seat.

She watched as he moved, seeming too large for everything around him, she wondered how he slept in such a small bed, which made her wonder other things about tonight’s activities, not that she couldn’t improvise.

“You have any trouble getting out here?” He asked while pouring the amber liquid into two shot glasses, well within her view so she could watch him and she wondered for a minute if he did that on purpose.

“I’m used to this neighborhood, not much trouble at all.”

He turned to her with a warm smile, bringing over the shots and handing her one before taking a seat beside her.

“So what do I call you?” He asked.

“Volt is fine,” she said with a smile, raising the glass for a cheers.

He clinked his into hers “alright, Volt.”

They both threw their drinks back before setting the empty glasses on the table beside his bed. For a moment after, they sat together, and Vesper had a sneaking suspicion this was his first time with a joygirl, not that that was a bad thing. She rested a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at her.

“Why don’t we get you out of this jacket baby,” she said, putting on her most soothing voice, new customers could be skittish, not because they were inexperienced with sex, but because they were inexperienced with paying for it.

He nodded and shrugged off the heavy leather, Vesper helping him slide his arms out before setting it aside. She then leaned on him, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

“You have any requests?” She asked, her voice soft and smoky, and for a moment in the dim light she thought she saw him blush.

“Not particularly,” he said, his voice had a trace of a nervous laugh to it.

She leaned up to kiss his throat which was now exposed to her, gently running her hand across his broad chest.

“First time with a joygirl?”

“First time I’ve had the Eddies,” he chuckled.

She smiled against him, happy with his honesty, deciding that it was sufficient enough reason to take the reins for a little bit. She slid into his lap, him leaning back to accommodate her as she straddled him.

“We can do anything you want,” she said kissing him properly, the taste of rum still lingering on his lips.

“I just want you,” he sighed, hands settling on her hips.

She smiled, hands running down his muscled arms, rolling her hips slightly, soliciting a wistful sigh from Jackie. She let one arm fall between them while the other rested on the back of his neck.

“We can take it as slow,” she said softly, her hand between the two of them palming between his legs where she felt him, already hard, through his jeans “or as fast as you’d like.”  
His breathing stuttered, his hips canting upwards slightly as her touch.

“I’ll let you lead,” he said, hands squeezing around her hips.

She hummed out an affirmation before pulling back and lowering herself between his knees, kissing a trail from his mouth to his chest, keeping him occupied while she worked at his belt. He watched her through heavily lidded eyes, pupils already blown wide, one of his hands going into her curly pink hair while the other rested on the bed beside him. She kept eye contact as she unzipped his jeans and pulled his cock from his underwear. She knew he would be large in relevance to his size and she wasn’t wrong, he was thick in her palm and as she gave him a few lazy pumps he sighed heavily before sucking in a breath and she wondered when the last time someone had touched him like this was.

She gave a cursory lick over the head of his cock and she was sure she could see all tension leave his body as he relaxed back against his arm that was supporting him. Satisfied she took him into her mouth and swirled her tongue around the head, one hand on his thigh and the other stroking him in time as she bobbed down. She heard a string of Spanish leave his mouth as she worked him over with her tongue, looking up at him through thick lashes to be sure he was being satisfied, even though the grip in her hair tightening was a pretty good indication that he was enjoying himself.

She pulled back to catch her breath, stroking him while she spoke “you like that baby?”

“Fuck, yeah, yeah that’s good,” he growled.

She smiled before going back down, his hand in her hair moving so that he could see her face as she took him into her mouth again. This time she angled herself so she could take more of him, tongue flat against the bottom of his shaft, his head brushing the back of her throat. He made a startled noise, mouth falling open as he cursed again. She hummed around him, before coming back up for air, repeating the action several times as his other hand came up to pull her hair away from her face. She could feel his hips twitch forward in a halfhearted attempt at stopping himself from thrusting full force into her mouth, his breathing having become labored, his eyes closed, she knew he was close, but to her surprise as she pulled up for air once more he weakly took her face in his large hands.

“Come here jaina,” he said.

She followed as he took her hands and pulled her up so they were standing, taking her face again and kissing her as his hands went to work his jeans and underwear off before doing the same to her own leggings and top. She was barely done pulling his shirt off over his head before he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her down onto the small bed. She let out a startled laugh as they both settled onto the sheets chest to chest. Her mouth found his again as his hands rested on the rise of her ass, his warm skin against her own raising goosebumps along her arms in the cool air of the apartment.

“Fuck you’re gorgeous,” he said as she kissed along his jaw and lightly dragged her nails across his shoulders.

“As if you should speak baby,” she said, a laugh laced with sarcasm leaving him as she did.

She pushed herself up, feeling his hard cock against her ass as she did she smiled down at him, biting at her lip as she steadied herself with her hands on his broad chest. He looked up at her with deep brown eyes, the irises of which had been swallowed by the black voids of his pupils. She rolled her hips back, his cock wet with her saliva sliding against the curve of her ass, he stared up at her with an adoring gaze she wasn’t quite used to with most clients, but she liked the way it made her feel. She took his hands and slid them up her sides before resting them against her breasts, his fingers occupying themselves with teasing at her sensitive skin while she continued to grind against him. He huffed out a needy breath which bordered on a whine, canting his hips up to try and get more friction despite the fact that it wasn’t possible at the angle they were currently in.

“You want this pussy baby?” She asked quietly, digging her nails into his chest a little deeper.

“Let me fuck you.”

She smiled, satisfied with that answer, she pushed herself up one hand going to his cock, the other on his shoulder. He helped hold her, his hands on her hips, as she guided him to her entrance. She knew he was big, but if she could fit him in her mouth she was sure she could take him. The head of his cock pressed into her and she could help the moan that escaped her as she began to lower herself down onto him.

“Easy jaina,” he said, his voice strained as he steadied her.

“I can take it baby, don’t worry about me,” she said with a smug smile.

She took a breath before sliding down halfway. Fuck he’s big, she thought as her cunt clenched around his cock. Jackie cursed in Spanish, then in English. Filled with confidence at his reaction Vesper took the rest of him, stopping only when he was well seated inside of her and the two of them were panting with anticipation. She watched as he nearly squirmed beneath her, clearly lost in his own little world as he adjusted to her tightness.

“Haven’t lost your nerve have you?” She teased.

That prompted him to open his eyes which had fluttered shut only moments ago, a dark look to his expression as he cracked a smile.

“Not even close,” he said, his hands at her hips sliding back to squeeze at her ass.

“Good,” she said, before rolling her hips in earnest.

She set to a slow pace, riding him as they both chased their end, Vesper leaning back to gain leverage by balancing herself on his thighs. Soon enough he matched her rhythm with the rolling of his own hips. She let her head fall back, letting herself enjoy how he stretched and filled her in the most satisfying way. She let out a startled yelp when she felt a thick rough thumb drag over her clit, a jolt of pleasure nearly knocking her off balance. She looked down at him only to be greeted with a smug smile which she didn’t have the opportunity to comment on as he began rubbing small circles against the sensitive bundle of nerves. She clenched hard around him as she felt her pleasure building, a breathless moan tumbling from her lips. He pulled her forward so that she was leaning against his chest, his fingers leaving her clit and making her whine in earnest.

“Patience baby,” he said in a teasing voice.

One of his hands cupped where her thigh met her ass, the other bracing her hip, with that he pulled her up which allowed him room to thrust up into her. She let her head drop onto his shoulder as she began to pant, sweat beading across her brow as he fucked her.

“Jackie, fuck,” she moaned against his shoulder before nipping at his throat.

His breath was coming faster, his hips moving to snap against her with more fervor, and she could tell he was getting close. She grazed his pulse point with her teeth, her hands running light scratches down his sides, his name coming freely as she felt her core tighten with anticipation.

“Where do you want it?” He asked, his words hurried and strained.

“Cum inside me baby.”

His thrusts became erratic before he finally buried his cock deep inside her and came hard. His voice carried through the small room and for a second Vesper wondered if his neighbors could hear them, not that she cared all that much. Slowly he relaxed against the bed, breathing evening out as he came down from his high, his hands guiding her down with him so that she was relaxed, flushed against his warm body. Her own head was spinning despite not yet having reached climax, not that that was required, but she had sure hoped he would have kept up a little bit longer.

“You good baby?” She asked, pressing a soft kiss to his temple as he regained his composure.

“Yeah—yeah I’m good,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“Good.”

They laid like that for a minute and she idly wondered if he was the cuddling type. Her thoughts were interrupted when he tapped her on the shoulder. She pushed herself up, hands on either side of his head so she was looking down at him.  
“Did you finish?” He asked, face flushed, eyes half lidded, a pleased smile on his face.

“Don’t worry about that,” she said, leaning down to kiss him, his lips tasting of sweat and rum.

After a moment his hand came up to push the hair from her face “no, I want to know.”

She was surprised by his insistence, most of her male clients didn’t give much of a shit if she came or not.

“I was close there baby,” she said with a small smile.

His smile faltered slightly but it was more in determination that disappointment.

“Get up,” he said softly.

She obliged, slowly lifting herself off of his cock, prompting a deep groan as he watched her. The bed was small, so she stood on shaking legs as he sat up before standing as well, then guiding her onto the bed. She sat there, looking up at him curiously, wondering what it was he intended to do. He then got on his knees in front of her, hands on her thighs with a questioning look on his face.  
“Can I?” He asked, and she found it endearing that he did ask.

She smiled and let her legs fall open. He had to bend over, still too tall even on his knees, before pulling her legs up and over his shoulders. She felt his breath against her core and that same excitement from their fuck came rushing back, her hand resting on top of his head, nails against his scalp which in and of itself made him groan. He spread her with his fingers, the action making her sigh, before she felt his hot tongue press against her clit. She let out an earnest moan, her head falling back as he swirled his tongue before dipping down to her opening and back up again. It was then that she felt a thick warm finger tease at her entrance, before pressing inside as his lips sealed around her clit. Damn he was good at this. She rested back on her elbow as he went to work, slowly probing her with his middle finger and sucking at the small nub with his lips, never working the same pattern against her cunt twice. Once she was sufficiently wet again he pressed in another finger, fucking her properly with them as she let her voice carry. Her fingers found his topknot as he finally pressed a third finger in and she felt herself clenching around him.

Jackie hummed against her, lapping at her clit as her hips rolled, her thighs tightening around his head and her free hand balling sheets in a fist.

“Jackie I’m going—I’m—“ she went rigid, her voice leaving her as she came.

Stars burst behind her eyes as they rolled back in her head and her mouth hung open. She gasped, her voice high as she rode out her orgasm, Jackie fucking her through it and not relenting until she was squirming with overstimulation. It was then that he finally pulled back and Vesper got a good look at him there, between her legs, lips wet with her slick as he licked them and then his fingers. Her face felt hot and her head felt fuzzy as she tried to catch her breath, her whole body relaxing against the bed. She felt him maneuver from between her legs before pulling her up to sitting and wordlessly slipped back into the small bed. He tugged her gently to lay tucked up against his chest as he lay on his side, and she didn’t protest as he slung an arm around her and pressed his face into the back of her neck. She let herself bask in the afterglow, thankful for his warmth in the now chilly feeling room.  
He was an odd one to be sure, but at least she had gotten the answer to one of her questions, he was a cuddler.


	2. Familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some fluff and some good food, enjoy!

The next few times Vesper was hired by Jackie went just about the same, drink, fuck, cuddle, and then she was on her way. He made small talk, mostly about her journey over and his childhood in Heywood, she liked how he treated her and he very much liked how she treated him, if the extra tips were anything to go by. This time however as she stood in front of his door, he called out for her to come in instead of greeting her face on. As the door slid open she was hit with the smell of spices and meat, a heavenly scent that made her mouth water and her empty stomach growl.

“Ay Volt! Just in time the carnitas are done,” he said waving to her from where he stood in front of the kitchenette.

This surely wasn’t what she had been expecting but she wasn’t going to deny it smelt damn good. She let the door shut behind her and went to take her usual seat on the bed.

“If I had known this was going to be a dinner date I would have gotten more dressed up,” she said with a smile, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hand.

“Eh, no one needs to get dressed up for Señora Welles’ food, come as you are and all that,” he waved his hand dismissively as he moved plates around on the small amount of counter space he had.

She was astonished at how he had managed to cook a whole meal with only a small box oven and a hotplate, but then she saw the bags sitting on a chair beside him labeled ‘Jackie’ and she wondered how much of it he had cooked himself.  
“Well she sounds very nice,” Vesper said softly, something about the whole ordeal making her homesick for a time and place that no longer existed.

“Ma’s always looking out for me, I guess since I’m the last kid standing and all that,” he said with a chuckle but there was sadness to it.

“It’s good to have someone like that, watching your back and all.”

“You got anyone watching your back?” He asked as he turned with two plates balanced in one hand, and two beers clutched in the other.

He came to sit beside her, offering her one of each which she took graciously, scooting over to allow him room.

“I have The Mox, they’re like a family really,” she said with a sigh, looking down at the plate in her lap. Carnitas had been piled high on some small corn tortillas, and she wondered idly where he had gotten the meat in the first place or if it was imitation pork, either way it smelt real.

“Same with me and the Valentino’s, ‘cept I stopped running with them a little while ago,” he said gathering the various toppings into his taco “but if you grew up ‘round here we take care of each other anyways, you said you knew the area?”

She wondered where all these questions were coming from, why now of all times he was asking them, but he hadn’t done anything to hurt her so far, so she relaxed a little.

“I grew up here, for a little while, but I moved after my parents died.”

Silence hung in the air for a minute, bringing up dead parents seemed to do that to conversations. 

“That can fuck with your head, losing parents like that, I’m thankful my mom’s still around, I’m one of the lucky ones,” he said around a bite of food.

She smiled down at her plate, everyone else liked to tiptoe around that shit, but not Jackie. She nodded once before picking up her own taco and delicately trying to maneuver it into her mouth, only after she had taken a bite did she realize Jackie had been watching her. She gave him a questioning look and he laughed.

“I just want to know how you like it is all!”

She wouldn’t deny it, the carnitas were excellent, spiced to perfection, salty and savory with a hint of sweetness from the onions and cilantro. She couldn’t help the noise she made, the way her eyes rolled when she chewed, it was perfect, she hadn’t had food this good in a long time, not since she was arm candy for a corpo, and all that food had been artificial.

“Fuck,” she said, mouth still half full as she rocked back on the bed.

“Ahah! Good good yeah?” He said slapping his knee.

“Shit Jack, you made this?”

He laughed again “I wish, I mean I cut up the onions, made the guacamole, and finished the meat in the oven, but ma did all the hard work.”

She took another bite, less dainty this time.

“Yeah get in there,” he said, nudging her with his arm before digging into his own food.

She enjoyed this, legitimately, not that she didn’t enjoy fucking, but this was a different kind of euphoria. She demolished her tacos, not letting a single bean go to waste before sitting back, full to the brim with pork and salsa.

“I hope you don’t expect me to ride you after all of that, I can’t move,” she said as Jackie stood and took her plate.

“I don’t expect anything like that tonight, don’t worry,” he said, going to scrub the plates in the small sink.

She cocked an eyebrow, watching him move, still amused by how tiny he made everything look around him.

“Really?”

He met her eye in the mirror above the sink, since the unit doubled as the bathroom sink and kitchen sink “I just thought you’d like a break, a paid break,” he said with a laugh before returning to his work.  
Vesper curled her legs in beneath her, wanting to take a nap now that she was full.

“You’re burning money to feed me?” She asked lazily.

Jackie slowed his movements as he dried the plates and set them down and she wondered if she had somehow insulted his hospitality, but instead of anger his face was soft, a dusting of blush across his cheeks.  
“I uh, just like spending time with you, and I know I know, this is just business right? But I thought business doesn’t have to be all work,” he said with a shrug.

She smiled, and she felt something in her chest swell, something she did all she could to squash down. Becoming attached to a client was bad, bad for business and bad for the heart.

“I won’t argue with that,” she said, raising her beer, not taking her eyes off of him as she took a swig.

No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t figure out his game, which might point to there being no game in most cases, but Night City didn’t like to foster that in its citizens.

“Good, don’t argue, relax, have another taco if you want, you wanna do a braindance? I have High Voltage, Tailspin, True Regent, uhh,” he glanced at his desk, beneath which she could see several BD cartridges.

“Pick one, whichever your favorite is,” she said with a smile, getting comfortable on his bed.

“Call of Dragons it is then,” he said with a laugh, pulling a cartridge out.

She watched with soft delight as he rambled on about the making of the braindance, who it starred, where it was recorded. She wouldn’t mind this kind of arrangement, he was a good fuck, he fed her good food, and he treated her like a guest instead of some kind of subordinate. She had had good encounters before, but this one felt different, it felt familiar, and in the strangest of ways.


	3. The Fallen Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 already! If you've read this far thank you!  
> I do have a TRIGGER WARNING for attempted assault and gore for this chapter, I have put a break in to signal where to stop reading if you would like to skip this scene. I will have a brief note at the end of the chapter of the basic rundown so you can continue to the next chapter without having to read the scene itself. Enjoy!

The neon pink and blue lights of the bar were turned to a low glow behind Wish as she skated up to Vesper with her drink in her neon light up laser skates. The Falling Star was basically dead that night seeing as it was a Wednesday at 10pm in the middle of a Night City summer, the perfect atmosphere for Vesper’s hangover.

“You look troubled sis,” Wish said in her neo-Beverly Hills accent.

Wish was three inches shorter than Vesper’s 5’6” but the skates she wore at least made her look old enough to work at a bar. She had soft tan skin and thick wavy hair from her Filipino heritage, which was currently pinned up above her head in a high ponytail. Vesper liked Wish, she was smart, pretty, and most of all she was the one who welcomed Vesper back into Heywood when she moved home at eighteen.

“Hangover,” Vesper said, voice rough from smoking a joint before coming inside.

“That’s not it baby, there’s something else, you’ve been chewing at your lip for ten minutes now.”

Wish rolled her hips back until she was leaning her elbows on the bar “you meet someone?”

“I meet 'someones' everyday, you know that,” Vesper said with a smirk, despite knowing that Wish now knew she was on the right track, an implied confession.

“So, where’d you meet? What’s their name?” She prodded, rolling front to back on her skates as she did.

“Therein lies the problem,” Vesper said as she shot back the rum. Rum, the brand Jackie and I drink.

“Oh no sis, they’re a client?”

Vesper tapped the shot glass on the bar and pressed her lips into a thin line.

“Baby you’ve done that once before and you know how it turned out.”

_Ouch_ , Vesper thought, but she knew Wish wasn’t being cruel, just right.

“I know, I know. He’s… He treats me like…”

“Like a girlfriend?” Wish finished for Vesper.

“No! God no. I mean—the other day he hired me to have dinner with him. We did a braindance together.”

“Fuck, that’s couple shit sis.”

Vesper laughed, if watching a movie and having dinner together was ‘couple shit’ then Vesper was in way more relationships than she realized.

“Laugh now, you’ve seen him, what? Four times? Give it one more week and you’re going to be debating on leaving a toothbrush at his house.”

Wish skated away to get Vesper another shot, letting her stew on Wish’s words. To be fair Wish was usually right about these kinds of things, she had been right last time too, but last time Vesper was only 20 and too naïve to realize some men just like hurting women for fun. Honestly some would call her lucky, her parents died before she really had any memories of how her father and mother got along, and her aunt was gay and single while raising her.

As if the devil thought she hadn’t reminisced enough she felt a hand on her lower back, as a shadow settled beside her. Vesper straightened from where she had slouched onto the bar with a start, turning to see a tall brunette with neon blue eyes and smooth mod integration, the sign of a rich kid.

“I’ll pay for the next round he said, flashing a bright white smile that nearly hurt Vesper’s eyes in the glow of the neon lights.

“Thanks,” Vesper said with a smirk, softening her voice.

He relaxed beside her, leaning back on an elbow as Wish returned with Vesper’s refill and he flipped the eddie chip to Wish without even looking at her. Vesper met Wish’s eyes which she rolled before skating to help another customer.

“You from around here?” He asked, giving her a long once over which made her skin crawl.

“Yeah, something like that,” she said, smiling before taking her shot.

“Nice, I was wondering if you’d maybe show me around a little,” he said with a wink.

She felt his fingertips at her arm and she looked down to where he was holding out an eddie chip. 

She smiled politely, twirling her hair in one hand “Oh thank you baby, but I’m off duty,” she slid the chip back towards him.

She turned back to the bar, waving Wish over, she could nearly feel the heat from the man’s scowl against the side of her head.

“What can I get you,” Wish asked.

“Get my friend anything he wants, put it on my tab,” Vesper said before turning and heading to the women’s bathroom.

Vesper splashed her face with water trying to shock her system back into reality from where she was spinning out in space. She shouldn’t have gotten that cross faded so early, but at the very least it dulled how the lighting made her head throb. She looked at herself in the mirror, trying to figure out how she had let it get this bad. It had been two days since Jackie had called her over for dinner and she hadn’t stopped thinking about how safe she felt with him, something that felt thrilling and terrifying at the same damn time. Once he runs out of eddies he’ll stop calling, she thought.

She rolled her neck before straightening herself in the mirror, she needed to pull herself together. She exited the bathroom and returned to her spot at the bar, Wish coming over with a sly smile on her face.

“What?” Vesper asked.

“That guy totally hated that you bought him a drink,” she laughed “he refused the drink and left.”

Vesper rolled her eyes and shook her head, Jackie wasn’t like that was he? How would she even know? She had only seen him for sex and some dinner, she barely knew him, it was a childhood crush, it didn’t mean anything.

“Can I have a water before I go,” Vesper asked and Wish nodded, going to fetch her a glass.

Vesper spent the next half hour nursing her water until she felt stable enough to walk herself home.

“I’ll see you later Wish,” she said as she shrugged on her clear jacket and stepped out into the night.

The summer heat drove most people outdoors only after the sun had dipped behind the horizon, and Heywood was abuzz with people on their back porches and in their front yards, gathered on building stoops and huddled together on the street corner. She let the night breeze play across her face, her cerulean hair twisting in the wind. She noticed as she neared the corner that she wasn’t that far from Jackie’s place, and as much as she tried she couldn’t help the rush of excitement she got when thinking of the possibility that she may get to see him again.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She let herself smile, it was the last thing she could remember before the world was dark and her head was throbbing like she had been hit over the head with a brick. She twisted, her tender scalp scraping against the cement floor and making her hiss out in pain. Above her she saw a dark shape, barely visible against the mirky haze of the Night City sky.

“ _Dumb whore_ ,” she heard from somewhere far away.

As she started to orient herself she felt the squeeze of a hand around her throat and her body kicked into overdrive. She sprang to life in the man’s grasp, trying to scream, trying to breathe, but all that came out of her mouth were desperate gasps. She began to claw at him, only for him to raise her slightly and slam her back into the pavement, the world twisted again and she felt like she was going to vomit.

“ _They said Heywood chicks were easy, you thought you could say no to me_?”

Her arms fell to her sides as she felt around for something, anything when something smooth and cool brushed her fingers. She reached, eyes watering too much to see anything anymore, and finally she grasped the neck of a discarded beer bottle. She cracked it against the ground, before swiping blindly above her, hitting something in her panic, she repeated the action again and again before finally the hands around her throat released and she gulped down a lungful of air. She felt like there was a boulder on her chest as she writhed and slowly felt the blood rush back to her head. When she could feel her hands again she felt around, only to find a head of hair planted in her chest. She screamed, or at least attempted to, the sound like air from a popped tire escaping her throat as she tried to push herself out from under the weight.

When her feet were finally free she crawled forward on her forearms, wiping blindly at her face when she could, trying to stop her eyes from stinging. Once she could see she turned back onto her hip, sitting up and staring into the darkness of the alleyway she had been dragged into. The man had been the one from before, she recognized the light blue of his sports jacket, but in this light it wasn’t just blue, something dark and black splattered and soaked the silk. She pushed herself up onto her feet, her body shaking like she had a fever, her jaw chattering uncontrollably as she backed into the light of the street.

Her jacket flashed in the light and something caught her attention. First was the undeniable taste of copper in her mouth, the second was the deep crimson of blood against the plastic fabric. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart began to pound loudly in her head. It felt everything had become too much, she wondered if her optical mods had misfired, if the hit she must have taken to the head shorted something in her circuitry. She felt her feet begin to move, she felt herself begin to process her surroundings like she was watching through a glass window. Cross the street, past the tow yard, second grey complex on the left, up the stairs, first door on the right.

She didn’t even hear herself knock, she barely even heard the click of the lock and the slight swoosh of the door sliding open.

“Volt?”

She jumped, looking up into Jackie’s dark brown eyes which were set beneath a furrowed brow.

“I—“ she didn’t know what to say, how to even start explaining, she didn’t even know how she really had gotten there.

“ _Joder, jaina_ what happened to you?” He had let the door slide all the way open as he took her face in his warm hands, which nearly forced her soul back into her body.

She opened her mouth, taking in a lungful of air, trying to find the right words, but when she went to speak all that came out was more air.

“Come here,” he said softly, pulling her into his apartment, a braindance wreath laying on his bed, she had clearly caught him while he was relaxing for the night. How rude of me, she thought.

The door shut and she heard the lock click, and she released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Volt, please, answer me.” She hadn’t realized she had zoned out again until she felt his hand on her shoulder.

“I-I’m sorry what?” She asked.

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” he said “I just asked, who did this to you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On her walk home Vesper is attacked, she kills her attacker and autopilot walks to Jackie's apartment, that's all you really missed!


	4. Star Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've had your hurt, not have your comfort. Enjoy!

Vesper stared into the mirror across the room, watching herself as Jackie opened a small first aid kit on the bed beside her. She looked like some Halloween decoration with the way her face had swelled up on the left side, a clear patch of road burn from her chin to her forehead where she must have fallen on her face. Jackie parted her hair causing her to turn her attention to his face in the mirror. He was scowling, jaw set into a hard line, like he was clenching his teeth as he worked, and for half a second she wondered if it was her he was angry with.

“This’ll sting,” he said softly, and all suspicion that she was the target of his irritation evaporated.

She gave an affirmative noise and a half nod as he pulled the small spray can from the kit at his side. He shook it before spraying the solution onto the crack in her skull. She sucked in a breath through her teeth, hand reflexively grabbing the edge of the chair he had sat her on.

“Breathe,” he said, and she felt a warm calloused hand envelop hers and squeeze.

She gave a half nod again, squeezing her eyes closed before letting out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. After a moment passed the stinging began to subside, replaced with the strange static of numbness spreading across the back of her skull, causing her to release the tension in her shoulders.

“This’ll need stitches,” he said, seemingly more to himself than to her.

“I’ve got a guy who can do it, or I could do it, but the last time I stitched something up it was my own forearm,” he tried to laugh but it came out as a sad chuckle.

She tried to smile despite the swelling in her face and she saw him glance up into the mirror, his gaze softening as he realized she was watching him work.

“I don’t want… I just—“ she couldn’t find the right words, I don’t want to be around anyone else but you.

“Hey, no sweat, I got it,” he said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

She liked these little touches he gave her, they kept her from feeling like she was going to spin out of her head. He returned to rummaging through his kit and she returned to staring at the girl in the mirror she barely recognized.

“When I was a little girl I had bad seizures,” she said softly, Jackie glancing up at her in the mirror again before occupying himself with the bag in his hand.

“My aunt did everything to get me the best doctors she could afford, and they implanted this device on my temporal lobe to stop the seizures from happening.”

Jackie listened attentively, nodding as he threaded the curved needle. Vesper finally dropped her gaze away from the mirror, instead focusing on the floor.

“I remember waking up from the surgery and feeling like I was simultaneously waking from the best nap ever and being hit over the head with a baseball bat,” she said with a dry chuckle.

She let her eyes close as she felt the prick of a needle at the back of her head, reminding herself to keep breathing despite the want to stop.

“When I woke up in the alleyway I almost thought I had a seizure, I thought I had just fallen but—“ she swallowed hard, not having realized that a ball had formed in her throat.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, you don’t have to explain yourself,” she felt his hand on her shoulder again.

“I just feel like I should have been more alert, I should have watched where I was going, I should have—“

“Volt, look at me,” Jackie tugged on her arm, and she turned in her seat, finally meeting his eye face to face.

“This will never be your fault. I don’t give a shit what you were doing before that motherfucker attacked you, it’s his fault.”

She searched his eyes for any sign of bullshit and when she couldn’t find any she finally relented with a nod.

“Why don’t you go take a shower, get cleaned up, I’ll run your clothes down to the laundry room, yeah?” Jackie gestured to her blood soaked crop top.

She nodded, watching as Jackie placed all the medical supplies back into the first aid kit. Once he had it zipped closed Vesper reached out and took his hand.

“I—“ Vesper let out a sigh “I don’t know how I could thank you.”

After a moment another hand rested on top of her own, making her look up again.

“You don’t have to thank me for shit, Volt, I told you, us Heywood folk take care of each other, yeah?” He smiled softly at her and she felt her heart clench.

“Yeah,” she repeated, mirroring his smile.

“Good, get your culo in the shower, I’ll get you a towel.”

Vesper nodded and stood, her body protesting as she tried to straighten her shoulders, the action causing her to wince.

“I know I have Speedheal here somewhere,” Jackie went to the mirror above the sink, rummaging through the various containers and boxes before pulling out the inhaler and holding it out to her.  
“Thanks,” she said before heading to the bathroom.

\---

Vesper watched the pink water swirl around her painted toenails, her head spinning with the Speedheal she had taken before getting in which had stemmed the shaking in her hands as the hot water nearly seared her skin. She didn’t care, it kept her in her body, in her head, the heat reminding her that she was a living breathing human being. She stayed staring into the drain until the water ran clear and cold and her toes and fingers were pruned. The bathroom was basically a small cubicle with a shower stall and toilet, and Vesper took a minute to look around at Jackie’s toiletries.

Pine and mint scented shampoo and conditioner, citrus face wash, a half burnt mango and coconut candle. On the toilet she realized Jackie had left a large blue towel and a soft grey shirt folded on top of it for her. She wrapped herself in the plush towel and let herself breathe in the fresh smell of lavender laundry detergent. She wondered what Jackie must think of her, running to his house like some kind of scared kid, she wondered if he’d want anything to do with her after all of this was over. She dried herself, careful of the bruises and the raw skin on her face and shoulder. She picked up the shirt she had been left, pulling it on over her head, the soft fabric was loose around her frame, emphasizing her and Jackie’s size difference. She wrapped her arms around herself and stood in the steamy air for a moment, the quiet hum of the overhead light the only sound aside from her own breathing.

She had scolded herself at the bar for trusting in Jackie so much when they technically hadn’t seen each other outside of “work”. But now, as she stood in his bathroom, in his shirt, smelling like his body wash, she wondered if this really was just Heywood local hospitality, or something else. For a moment she let herself hope that it was something else.

The steam billowed out into the cold air of the bedroom as Vesper let the door slide open. Jackie had returned from the laundry room and was standing beside his bed, the light on the table beside him was on and facing the sheets he was currently making the bed with. He glanced up before doing a double take, his ears turning a slight shade of red when he saw her.

“I hope the shirt wasn’t too uh—“ he looked lost trying to find the word “weird,” he seemed to settle on.

Vesper smiled gently before shaking her head “no, it’s fine.”

He returned the smile before turning back to the pillow he was working on.

“I know we didn’t really make a plan but I figured you’d want to be comfortable while you waited for your clothes to finish washing,” he said, scratching the back of his head.

“I don’t want to intrude, you’ve already done so much for me, so much that most people wouldn’t do for…” she trailed off.

His face fell slightly, almost like he hadn’t considered that most people wouldn’t help her. He stood there for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to his bed.

“Nah, don’t worry about it, I’d rather you be here than alone, I knew a guy who was hit over the head and he died in his sleep cause he went home by himself too early.”

Vesper blinked a few times, it certainly wasn’t what she had been expecting to hear, and she wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be reassuring or not.

“Fuck I mean I’m not going to let you die in your sleep or anything-- I mean you won’t die in your sleep in the first place!”

Vesper let herself laugh, her head hazy with Speedheal and exhaustion. She padded over to his side and stood on her toes, her less injured hand taking him by the cheek and pulling him down to her. He could have protested if he wanted, pulled away, spoken up, but instead he went easy, closing his eyes as their lips met. It was brief and sweet and Vesper realized how much she ached for it to last longer than it did. Instead she pulled away after a reasonable amount of time, smiling up at Jackie and studying the lines of his face before turning to sit on the bed, trying to stop the heat rising in her cheeks.

“I know it ain’t much,” he said sheepishly and Vesper shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, her voice rough and low from exertion.

She settled into Jackie’s bed, patting the mattress beside her.

“Oh, nah I’m gonna stay up for a bit,” he said nodding to the braindance wreath he had moved to the desk which was pushed up against the wall beneath the windows.

Vesper would have prodded further, but her brain felt like it was actively going into sleep mode. She nearly melted into the sheets, eyes closing before her head even hit the pillow, curling in on herself beneath the quilt Jackie had given her. She let the ambient noise of Jackie’s apartment lull her into the darkness of sleep.

\---

Vesper’s dreams were dark, not in theme but rather in brightness, everything seeming to be cloaked in a blanket of inky blackness, and as she heard the hum of an air conditioner unit slowly emerge into her consciousness she realized she could barely remember any details. The next thing that hit her was the salty savory smell of bacon and cheese. Vesper blinked through the haze that had settled across her eyes, finding that her left eye had swollen up around the edges from the road burn. When she finally was able to make out the shapes and colors of Jackie’s room she realized a brightly marked bag sat beside the bed. She rubbed at her face tenderly, lifting her head only to see Jackie opening his bag of food next to her.

“Ay, you good jaina?” He asked when he noticed her beginning to stir.

“Mmm,” she hummed affirmatively as she stretched out her stiff, sore limbs.

“I brought you breakfast, didn’t know quite what you liked but figured I couldn’t go wrong with bacon, cheese and eggs wrapped in a tortilla,” he said with a laugh. 

She smiled despite the way her head throbbed, pushing herself up on a shaking arm, the lack of food and her aching muscles making her feel weak to the bone. She finally took Jackie in and realized he hadn’t changed from the night before, still dressed in a loose tank top and jeans, and there were bags deep beneath his eyes. 

“Jackie?”

“Hmm?” 

“Did you sleep?” 

Jackie chewed a little slower, before finally relenting and swallowing.

“No.” 

“Jackie.”

“What are you? My mom? Relax, I’ve done all nighters before in worse situations,” he said leaning back in his chair and taking another bite. 

Vesper smiled despite herself, reaching for her own breakfast and unwrapping it. Her stomach growled and after a minute she had all but forgotten her anger at Jackie for neglecting his sleep as she dug in. The morning was surprisingly quaint for her having showed up to the apartment covered in blood just the night before. She savored her breakfast burrito, the two of them eating in silence merely because they were so preoccupied by their hunger. Vesper watched Jackie, chewing over more than just bacon as she tried to fight back the urge to run from her feelings again. 

“You look like you got something on your mind.”

Vesper swallowed, dropping her gaze, her stomach tightened as she chewed at her lip.

“You okay?” Jackie asked, his voice having softened, and she realized she was probably worrying him.

“I’m good, I’m good, I just… I have a question,” she said smiling at him, trying to keep her voice from wavering too much.

“Yeah, anything, what’s up?” He set his burrito down, wiping his face and hands with a napkin as he leaned forward, giving her all of his attention.

Her face flushed, the warmth crawling up her cheeks, his gaze making her flustered.

“Can we start over? You can say no, we can keep this relationship that we have, as client and joygirl, but I just wanted to know if you could see yourself—“ she bit down on her lip, trying to phrase it correctly “going on a date with me.”

Jackie blinked a few times, eyes slightly widened and jaw slack, before his face lit up in a bright smile.

“Joder, jaina! I thought you’d never ask, and I’m not just saying that, I really mean I thought you’d never ask me, I thought I was getting too attached,” he scratched at the back of his head, his face having turned a deep pink as he spoke.

Vesper sat in awe for a moment, her heart pounding a mile a minute in her ears as she tried to process what he had just said before she felt her cheeks heat up even more.

“So you’ll do it?” She asked as if she was still unsure of his answer.

“Yes, yes of course!” He said, laughing that big laugh of his that filled a room.

Vesper’s face softened and she felt tears prickle at the edge of her eyes, smiling wide despite the swelling in her face. She took a moment, shaking her head in disbelief before sticking out her hand.

“Well then, if we’re starting over properly, hi, I’m Vesper,” she said.

Jackie self-consciously wiped his hands again, before taking hers gently and leaning forward to press a kiss to her knuckles, the action making her heart race a little harder.

“Hello Vesper, nice to meet you, I’m Jackie, Jackie Welles.”


	5. Someone New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been in desperate need of sappy relationship bliss so there is a lot of cheese in this chapter. Enjoy!

Vesper hadn’t felt this mixture of nervous excitement that was broiling her stomach in a very long time. She put on her make up like she always did, but as she repeated motions she had practiced a thousand times, she felt like she couldn’t get it right. Pull yourself together she chided herself, glancing at the time out of the corner of her eye. Her soft blush pink eye shadow and sharp eyeliner would have to do for now, she blotted the plum lipstick and clicked off the makeup lamp.

She checked and double checked her handbag, assuring herself that she was perfectly prepared for a casual dinner out, taking one last glance at herself in the mirror and smoothing down the few flyaways that had lifted from her high and tight braided hairdo, before heading out the door. Relax, she told herself as she waited for the taxi on the sidewalk, trying to keep herself from chewing her own lipstick off.

By the time the taxi had arrived in Japantown the sun had nearly set, lingering in the sky as it liked to do in the late summer. Jackie had picked a place called The Old View, a restaurant set up in the old shell of a half exploded building, reinforced and completely safe now, but it evoked a bougie dystopia on purpose vibe. Vesper had always heard it was a nice place, visited by corpos and tourist alike, but she had never been, even with her corpo clients. She hoped she had dressed well enough.

The restaurant’s entrance was in a small walking area that led into an underground mall, palm plants were mixed with holograms advertising the latest in tech and entertainment, presumably available for purchase in the shops below. In order to reach The Old View two large golden escalators emerged from the foliage and neon. Vesper spotted her date, standing facing the white neon lights that twisted into The Old View’s signage, dressed in a black studded leather jacket and dark jeans, head down looking at something in his hands that she couldn’t see.

She smiled to herself, her heart beating a little faster as she approached, gently tapping him on the shoulder. He turned, face splitting into a wide smile as soon as he saw her. He leaned down, hesitating for a moment in order to allow Vesper to accept his gesture or not, before she closed the gap and pressed a kiss to his lips. She smelt that familiar pine and mint scented shampoo, cut by sweet leather and smoky birch cologne.

“Wow, you look—“ he shook his head “amazing as always,” he said with a nervous laugh, and Vesper could feel her own worry easing as she realized he too was anxious.

“You clean up well Jackie, not that you needed it,” she said, noticing that he had his arm semi hidden behind his back still.

“Oh ah, I got you this,” he revealed a small flat metal box, holding it out to her.

She took it gently, snapping open the magnetic top to reveal a beautiful golden bangle, neon blue lights glittering across the band in the shape of waves and fish. Her eyes widened at the intricate design, surprised by the gift and slightly guilty for not getting him anything.

“I noticed you liked that color, like your hair,” he said.

Vesper could feel her cheeks heat up as she realized he was watching her with a soft warm gaze. She slipped the bangle over her wrist before pulling him down to her for a full kiss, his hands resting tentatively on her waist as he smiled against her lips.

“It’s beautiful, Jackie, thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t bring you anything,” she said, a hint of sadness as she finished.

“Bullshit,” he snorted, “you brought yourself.”

Vesper blinked a few times before she had to look away, ears red hot already.

“C’mon, our reservation should be up,” he said offering his hand.

She slipped her fingers against his palm and let him lead her up the escalator, his thumb rubbing over her own a few times. She wondered if he was relishing the feeling of their hands together like she was, the intimacy much different from the few times he had hired her, it was sweeter and much more fulfilling.

The dining room opened up around them, deep reds with dim candle like lighting on each round table, around which was a staged crumbling old world ballroom. Cracked pillars supported an old fading fresco ceiling and the walls fell away at one end of the room to reveal a large box like window out into the street life, all the wonders of a post apocalypse world with all the comforts demanded by the rich. Vesper suddenly felt out of place with her embroidered white sleeveless top and white pleated pants, too bright with her blue hair, it was punctuated by the way the hostess looked her up and down with a scowl.

“How many?” She asked with a flat tone.

“Oh uh we already have a reservation, for Welles.”

Vesper chose to occupy herself by looking around the dining room while they spoke. Opposite the grand window looking out into the streets of Japantown, was a second story balcony, like ones from the old opera houses that Vesper had seen in braindances and vintage vods. A large water feature was just below it, made to look like a naturally occurring pool of water that one might find if nature were to retake the earth, holographic fish glittered above the water, leaving blue streaking trails in their wake. Natural foliage was interspersed between tables, bursting through the concrete in a triumphant act of Mother Nature against humanity, too bad it was all an expensive façade.

“What do you mean?” The question caught Vesper’s attention.

“We don’t have your reservation sir, I’m sorry.”

“Is there a problem?” Vesper asked, Jackie turning to her, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

“They say they don’t have our reservation, that they’re full for the night.”

“Could it be under my name?” Vesper asked.

“I don’t think so,” the hostess said dismissively, even though she hadn’t even asked for her last name.

“What about Rivera? Valentine Rivera?” Jackie asked.

Vesper gave him a questioning look, confused as to who that was, but as soon as he had finished his question the hostess seemed to change.

“Oh… You’re Mr. Rivera’s guests? I’m so sorry, please, right this way,” she said without another question.

Vesper cocked an eyebrow, but Jackie tugged on her hand, and she followed him to a table deeper in. They were sat just on the other side of the pond, the round booth facing the fish, a step up from the main floor in order to allow them to see down into the water properly. Vesper scooted in beside Jackie, the menus etched into a piece of smooth glass, lighting up as they touched it.

“Who is Valentine?” Vesper whispered, leaning in against Jackie.

“My friend, he’s the reason I’ve been making the money to pay for this,” he said at the same volume.

“Oh, cool,” she replied, straightening back up and browsing the menu.

The menu was full of the freshest catches and most expensive cuts, and she wondered what exactly it was that Jackie did with this Valentine to make enough to pay for this place.

“What do you two do together?” She asked, scanning the list of food.

“We run jobs together, mostly mercenary work,” Jackie explained.

“Really? Ain’t that dangerous,” Vesper asked in a low voice, and despite the fear for Jackie that raised the hairs on the back of her neck, she couldn’t help but be intrigued by his line of work.

“Don’t worry jaina, Valentine and I? We’re bulletproof,” he said looking up from the menu to wink at her.

“What are you guys doing though, like what do you do as a mercenary?”

“All sorts of shit, shoot at guys, have guys shoot at us, keep people safe, keep shit safe.”

“You say that like it’s no big deal,” she said with a laugh.

“I guess I’ve just been doing this for a while now, it’s kind of just a way of life, didn’t start making good money until now thought.”

Vesper cocked her head, leaning her chin on her palm studying him.

“What?” He asked with a chuckle, mirroring her pose.

“You’re interesting, you know that?”

“I’m just another hombre making my eddies in Night City, am I really that unique?”

“Maybe it’s just cause I like being around you,” or maybe it’s because I’m not used to being treated so well by men, she thought to herself.

“You got a crush on me or something?” He asked teasingly, his voice soft as he leaned in, Vesper moving to copy him, eyes flicking down to his lips, about to meet his with her own before the sound of heels on the stone walkway made them jerk apart.

\---------------------------------------------------------- 

“He paid me to eat his food, like he would pay for dinner for both of us and liked watching me eat his serving; I made a lot of money and ate a lot of good food on that job,” Vesper explained, sipping on her third glass of high rate wine.

“Shit, I need to step up my game if I’m going to compete with those corpo rats,” he said with a laugh that was half a gleeful chuckle, bubbling up from his chest, finishing the rum in his glass as the waiter came to deliver their bill.

“You think this doesn’t put you a cut above the rest?” She asked, gesturing around at the slowly emptying dining room.

“Ah, I just wanted to show off, wanted you to know that I think you’re worth all this, but I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know if I can do this more than once… a month,” he said shrugging like he was actually figuring out how often he could treat her to such a meal.

Vesper watched him as he talked, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly ajar, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, when he noticed he took a double take, self continuously shifting to face her more.

“What?”

“You think I am going to demand you take me to fancy ass corpo restaurants once a month?”

“What? No! I was just—I would! I would do it!” he said as Vesper began to laugh, resting her hand on his knee as she rocked in her seat.

“I know you would baby,” she said when she had composed herself.

“Oh? You know me so well already?”

“You respect me, you respect my job, you’ve already seen me covered in blood and stitched up my head, I won’t claim to know you deeply, but I think I have a pretty good idea,” she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek, leaving a dark purple smudge against his reddened cheeks, and she wondered if it was her or the alcohol that had caused the blush.

“What can I say, my ma raised me well,” he said sheepishly, looking down at the table.

“Well thank you Señora Welles.”

\------------------------------------------------------

Vesper didn’t get to see the check before Jackie had swiped it, protesting as he blocked her eddie chip, laughing as she whined, her head fuzzy with alcohol. As they exited hand in hand, the streets were still bustling with people, Friday night in Japantown being one of the most popular party spots in Night City. The two of them found their way to a quieter block of town, a small urban park squeezed between an apartment complex and strip of store fronts filled with flashy mannequins and boasting the hottest of trends, most of which were already closed for the night.

“I know that was… A lot,” Jackie started as they walked.

“What do you mean?” Vesper asked sleepily, leaning her head against his arm.

“I just mean—that place was kinda intense,” he said with a shrug.

“I didn’t notice really, not when it was just us,” she said with a smile, the wine allowing her to keep herself from cringing at her own sappiness.

“You’re really good at that,” he said.

“What?”

“Making me feel important.”

Vesper stopped at the edge of a metal sculpture, a twisting structure that reached into the night sky, lit up from below by warm floodlights. She took both of his hands in her own, squeezing gently and making him meet her eye.

“Good, because you are important,” she said.

He sighed, letting out a breath, his shoulders relaxing as he did.

“I think for the first time, I might actually start believing that.”


	6. An Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's a short one! This time from Jackie's point of view.   
> Also if you want to see my art or just follow my socials I'm @Gildedskeleton on twitter and @golden-guts on Tumblr!

The Flux was mostly empty when Jackie sat down at the tall gold and red bar, and even more so as he sat and drank by himself, smugly savoring the night before. He was so lost in his own memories of Vesper and The Old View, their walk, their post dinner activities, that he hadn’t heard the heavy boots approach him and sit down, until he saw a tattooed hand come into view.

“Looking mighty pleased with yourself hombre.”

Jackie let out a sigh, turning to Bolts, a bald headed ex-Valentino who he used to call friend.

“Too bad my good mood just walked out,” Jackie said, voice short and flat.

Bolts was a bit crazy, liked Stim a little too much, and always had a knack for showing up at exactly the wrong time.

“You might want to be a little nicer to your benefactor Jackie,” Bolts said with a dark laugh, waving over the bartender and ordering a drink.

“Benefactor? I paid you back two weeks ago,” Jackie said, turning back to his drink.

“Ha! No. You paid back the interest, I still need those let’s say… three thousand eddies?”

Jackie nearly spit out his drink, taking a minute to compose himself before turning to the tattooed cyberpyscho.

“The fuck are you talking about?”

“Got a nice girl now Jackie, she’s cute,” Bolts said casually.

Jackie could feel his hackles rise at Bolts’ smugness, turning to the man who he dwarfed by at least a head, but he didn’t back down or even pretend to look threatened.

“You know joygirls, they’re vulnerable, didn’t take you for such a softie, the pussy really that good?”

Jackie stood and all at once the atmosphere shifted on its ear, Jackie’s hands grasping Bolts’ leather jacket collar so hard he thought he may rip it off.

“You even think of laying a hand on her I swear to God—“

“Jackie, Jackie, Jackie, are you really in the position to be making threats like that? Why don’t you give her a call, right now.”

Jackie could feel his face blanche, his jaw clenching as he tried to determine if he was bluffing or not before finally pulling back. He dialed Vesper’s number, watching Bolts like a hawk, the other man acting completely unbothered as he sipped at his drink.

“ _Jackie_?” Vesper answered.

She was clearly at some kind of club, the music pulsing loudly in the background; he couldn’t help but let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Hey babe, just checking in,” he said as Bolts turned his attention back to Jackie.

“ _Oh? Well I’m currently at a job, I can call you on my way home though_ ,” she said.

“Oh, sorry, yeah that’d be great,” he tried to keep his voice even, despite the stress he was under.

“ _Are you okay_?” Vesper asked, there was a beat before he heard another voice in the background over the music.

“ _C’mon baby, I don’t want to be paying for you to talk to other guys here_ ,” the voice came closer as he spoke, and Jackie was pretty sure this was what Bolts wanted him to hear.

“I’m fine jaina, go back to work,” he said.

“ _Okay, I’ll call you when I’m done_.”

As the line went dead Jackie debated on smashing Bolts’ skull in with his own shot glass, but thought better of it. Vesper was with one of his friends, if Jackie did end up attacking him… he didn’t want to think of what could happen.

“What do you want?” Jackie asked plainly.

“I already told you, 3k, by Friday, that gives you what? Three days?” Bolts said, finishing his whiskey. 

“And if I’m late?” Jackie asked.

“Then you and your little girlfriend better sleep with one eye open,” Bolts stood, nearly chest to chest with Jackie who refused to back down.

“Good talk,” Bolts said, resting his hand on Jackie’s shoulder before turning and leaving.

Jackie watched him go before finally collapsing onto the stool he had been sitting on.

“ _Fuck_.”


	7. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to get some help from the Mox

Vesper let the smoke curl for her lips in a thick spiraling cloud which drifted up and dispersed like bubbles rising to the surface of water across the ceiling. Jackie’s cheek was pressed against her stomach, his body resting between her legs, hands pressed against her hips. She reached down and ran her nails against his scalp, eliciting a rumbling sigh from his chest. After a moment Jackie turned his head and pressed a kiss against her stomach, the action soft and lingering, like he was worshiping her. While tender, something nagged at Vesper. Last night he had called her out of the blue while she was with a client, not something he had ever done before making the reason he called even more suspicious. He had sounded strained, almost nervous, his voice trying to stay soft despite the way it dropped unintentionally, like he had something stuck in his throat. She had expected some kind of explanation when she met him at his place that night, but it had already been nearly 24 hours since and he still hadn’t addressed the elephant in the room.

“Baby,” Vesper said quietly.

“Hmm?”

“What’s on your mind?” She asked.

There was a long pause, too long to be nothing, before Jackie finally spoke “Am I that obvious?”

Vesper let out a small sigh of relief that he didn’t try to deny it.

“There are times where you’re being yourself, and times where you seem lost in your own head, I’m worried about you,” she said softly.

“I don’t mean to worry you jaina, I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

Vesper hummed an acknowledgement, offering him the blunt which he accepted, taking a drag before exhaling “It involves you.”

She perked up at that, her heartbeat leaping slightly, anxiety running through her veins as she tried to go through every little thing she may have done to upset him. He must have felt her freeze up, because he quickly added “your safety. I should have told you sooner.”

Somehow that was better than what she had made up on the spot. Maybe her last relationship was a little more than just heartbreaking.

“This guy I borrowed money from a while back, well I repaid him a few weeks ago, now he’s come back now saying I owe more.”

Vesper relaxed back into the pillows before nodding, a new fear creeping into her stomach.

“When I called you, it was cause he told me to, implied something was wrong. I think your client was his friend, like insurance so that I wouldn’t beat him to death just for threatening you.”

Vesper swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry and sticky, she tried to blame the smoke as she reached for the bottle by her bed.

“He was a bit of a dick,” she said, voice scratchy as she took a sip of water.

He only went by Dee, and he had under tipped the bar staff, got aggressively territorial the more he drank, and finished after about three minutes before throwing her out. She had had worse, but he was by no means on her list of favorites.

“He didn’t hurt you did he?” Jackie asked, kissing her stomach again before pushing himself up on his elbows so he could look up at her properly.

“No, he was a jackass, but if what you say is true, he probably was under orders not to,” she said cupping his face with her hands.

Jackie took a hit off of the blunt before kissing his way up to her face.

“Good,” Jackie kissed at her neck and jaw, and she gave him time to process what he wanted to tell her.

“I need you to lay low, just for a little while, until Friday.”

She made him pull back to look at her again.

“I don’t want to be a passive player in this, if this man is threatening us then I want to help,” she said.

Jackie blinked a few times, looking slightly dazed at her reply.

“But it’s my fuck up, you shouldn’t have to get involved.”

“But I am, and even if I wasn’t, I’d still want to help you, because I—“ she stopped herself, her throat tightening in sudden panic “—because I don’t want you having to deal with this alone.”

They sat in their shared quiet, Jackie dropping his gaze, contemplating her answer. She didn’t like the idea of being used as some kind of bargaining chip, especially to hurt someone she cared about, and she hoped Jackie would understand.

“Also I… think I have some people who can help,” she said, Jackie sitting up with interest.

“Oh?”

“I told you, the Moxes take care of each other, I’m a Mox, you’re with me so you’re part of the family,” she said.

“You think they’d want to help me though?”

“Well, since your friend threatened me, then it involves them, which means yes, they will.”

She pursed her lips and Jackie pulled himself up, kissing her deeper than she had anticipated, causing her to let out a small surprised giggle.

“I’m not about to reject something like that, but just know that if this gets too hot I want you to be safe,” he said after a minute, pulling away just slightly, eyes tracing her face, voice soft.

“I promise to stay safe, if you promise to do the same.”

He kissed her again, and Vesper draped her arms around his neck, she could feel the tension leave him, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She couldn’t help but smile, he trusted her, and she felt for the first time that maybe she could be happy with someone.

  
“He’s with me,” Vesper said as she and Jackie blew into Roxie’s bar together.

Vesper had spent most of her nights here early on as a joygirl, it was like a communal safe house for the Mox and their associates, and while most of Vesper’s clients sought her out outside of the Mox, she still felt like she was coming home when she saw the pink neon signs.

“Volt honey who is this lovely piece of arm candy?”

Vesper turned from where she and Jackie had settled at the bar to the over modded Mox behind her.

“Hey Rath,” she said with a smile.

Rath stood at about 5’6” and was nearly completely covered in modded material. His skin was a canvas of blue ‘tattoos’ that had been etched into the porcelain like material that he had instead of skin, and his hair was a bright blue, cropped short against his scalp. She had met Rath when he was still mostly organic, they used to smoke and talk shit out front before both of their demand had risen to a point where they could only message each other throughout the day.  
“This is Jackie,” Vesper said, turning to introduce him officially.

“Oh this is the Jackie Welles? Color me honored,” he said holding out a hand which Jackie took to shake.

“We’ve heard so much about you,” Rath said, resting his free hand on top of Jackie’s.

Vesper blushed, turning back to her drink, not making eye contact with either of the men beside her. She didn’t think she had talked that much about Jackie, it had only been around a month since they had started seeing each other, even less since they had started letting themselves become romantically involved.

“C’mon Rath, don’t crowd the man,” she said.

“Ey it’s fine, it’s nice to meet Vesper’s friends,” Jackie said, his voice relaxed.

Vesper blushed further, not because she was embarrassed of him, but because he seemed legitimately interested in her life. Every day was like a new surprise with him but it was more like a blooming flower instead of a stinking onion, it was a gift and for the first time she stopped to wonder what she had done to be so lucky. But that moment passed as she remembered why they were there in the first place, a big sharp thorn in the rose bush.

“V darling you have to tell me where you found such a catch,” Rath said over his shoulder to her, having situated himself between her and Jackie’s bar stools.

“Maybe some other time, I’m—we’re here on Mox business.”

Rath seemed to perk up even further, the prospect of violence always got him excited, more so even than a hot piece of ass.

“Oh?”

“We need some firepower and possibly back up, Jackie has a Valentino breathing down his neck.”

Rath looked between the two of them before cracking a wide smile.

“How exciting!”

“Keep it in your pants Rath, we’re trying not to spill too much blood.”

“Less exciting, but we can do that, let’s go somewhere a little more private, shall we?”

Rath pushed himself away from the bar, taking both Jackie and Vesper’s hands and tugging them along, indicating that they follow. Across the neon blue dance floor and past the braindancers slumped on nearby booths was a door to the back rooms, and an old world velvet and glass lounge where several Mox members waved and greeted Vesper who took her time to acknowledge them all. She wondered if the Valentinos were like this, she only had a few customers from them, Jackie being the most recent and the way he spoke about family made her assume is was at least somewhat similar.

“Now what are you looking for? Firepower to scare this Valentino off? A good old fashioned mugging? Dirt on him and his?” Rath rattled off the options like it was the bar menu.

Vesper settled across from Rath who had perched himself on one of the free couches, looking to Jackie who took a seat beside her.

“I need him to know he can’t fuck with my family,” Jackie said after a minute, the comment catching Vesper off guard. She had been so insistent on Jackie being part of the Mox family because he was with her, but she never thought about how she was a part of his world now too. She slyly slipped her hand into his palm, returning her gaze to Rath as she felt him squeeze.

“Oh alright, intimidation, you got guns?” 

Jackie let out a laugh that made Vesper’s heart flutter. She composed herself before giving Rath a nod.

“I got fire power, that’s not the problem, he made it clear he can get at my girl, and I want him to know that’s a bad idea, you get me?”

Maybe it was the Valentino in him or maybe it was just Jackie being Jackie, but he was clearly on the same wavelength as Rath.

“He threatened Vesper? Our Vesper? Ha!” Rath let out a sharp laugh “does he know he stuck his dick in the hornets’ nest by doing so?” Rath clicked his lighter as he brought a cigarette to his lips to light it.

“No, he thinks he can get to me anywhere,” Vesper added.

“Then we just show him the same deal, you got a name for this guy?”

“He goes by Bolts, but his name is Rodrigo Aguirre,” Jackie said.

“Alright, we can do some digging, should have his home address and the home addresses of his closest friends by the end of the day.”

Jackie leaned back, eyebrow raised “that quick?”

“Yeah, you got a whole birth name, that’s as good as gold to a good fixer.”

“Shit, I forgot what it was like to have people at my back,” Jackie said.

“Don’t sweat it, you make Volt happy, you’re a good guy as far as she’s told us-“ Rath winked at Vesper who blushed “-that means you’re good with the Mox, we’ll get you guys the info.”

“Thank you Rath,” Vesper said, leaning forward to take his hand in her own.

“You’re welcome babe, you two go home and lay low for a bit, I’m sure you’ll figure out something to keep yourself occupied while we get the shit,” Rath said.

Vesper pulled back, shaking her head with a smile. There was something about being with her people, the Mox, Rath, alongside the man who made her infinitely happy so far. It felt good, warm, it felt like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you watched the new NCW you may know why I am throwing myself into this work


	8. Killing Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow!!!! Thank you so much for all the support you guess have shown me, I starting writing this for my own enjoyment and the fact that it could make you all happy has left me absolutely overjoyed :)   
> I will be working more on this fic the more I play, just because I have been getting ideas from different missions and places in Night City, I don't believe there will be any spoilers, but if there is I will be sure to warn yall.   
> Thanks again! Here is a short smut chapter, just to bridge the waiting gap ;3

The sound of metal clanking loudly against itself rang out into the alleyway behind El Coyote Cojo, Jackie lifting the rolling door up until it stopped at the top, revealing what amounted to a multipurpose garage. Vesper watched as he rolled his motorcycle in, arms folded over one another to stave off the late night chill. It smelt like motor oil and incense, and something that was distinctly Jackie, leather and spice. Despite it being an out of the way hiding hole, it felt comfortable just because of that. 

“Well, this is it,” he said motioning her inside behind him. 

She shuffled in, pulling the door down behind her to keep out the chill of the night, he dug through a toolbox before turning back to her, brandishing a key.

“This place is safe, no one fucks with El Coyote, so if you’re ever in danger, or don’t feel safe, come here,” he held it out to her. 

She blinked a few times, taken aback by the offer, he hadn’t told her why they were there, just that he wanted to show her something. 

“Are you sure, Jackie? I don’t want to intrude-” he laughed, the sound startling her slightly as he took her hand and placed the key in it “You can’t intrude if I want you here,” he said softly, squeezing her hand as he pulled her in closer. 

“I can’t be there all the time, not that you can’t handle shit yourself, it’s just…” he paused, looking away for a moment before placing a hand on her cheek “Consider this a favor, for me, for my peace of mind,” he said.   
She met his gaze, the two of them standing in silence for a long minute before Vesper broke the silence. 

“Thank you,” she said quietly. 

“Ain’t gotta thank me jaina, I just want… I need to keep you safe,” he said. 

She smiled, even despite the sudden prickle of tears at the edges of her eyes, she dropped her head, hair covering her face as she tried to quickly wipe them away. 

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” Jackie asked, his voice suddenly worried, hands coming to rest on her shoulders. 

“No! Oh God no, sorry, sorry,” Vesper said, lifting her head again and beaming up at him “I’ve just never had anyone think of me like this,” she said, holding the key against her chest as she leaned in against him “thank you baby,” she said softly.  
Jackie closed the gap between the two of them, pressing his lips to hers, his hands having fallen to her waist to pull her in even closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, swaying slightly as she kissed him back, eyes fluttering shut as she soaked in the feeling of his warmth against her. She had never seen herself as “girlfriend material”, she had been relegated by most people as a fuck buddy, arm candy, someone to have fun with but when the going got tough, well. She pushed that thought down, the feeling of being unwanted along with it. She felt plenty wanted now, and despite her pension for refusing to need anyone but herself, she allowed herself to relish it. 

“What now?” Vesper asked, breaking the kiss only barely, their foreheads pressed together naturally.

“Well,” Jackie said, and she could hear the smile in his voice, “Rath said to lay low until they have the info.”

“Mmm,” Vesper hummed in agreement. 

He kissed her again, a hand going to cup her cheek, his other hand slipping beneath her shirt, his warm hands against her skin raising goosebumps across her arms. She closed her eyes, leaning into his warmth, his strength, she hadn’t allowed herself to fall prey to the stress of being targeted, and now she realized how much it had been eating at her, now that they were safe together. Jackie’s kisses became more insistent, and Vesper matched him, her arms tightening around the back of his neck, pressing her body against his fully. She felt him tug at the edge of her pants, asking silently for permission before working at the buttons, Vesper batting his hands away to make quicker work, her lips finding his cheek, then his jaw, sharp teeth grazing his skin in a way that made him rumble out a long half sigh. 

He pushed against her, causing her to back up into his bike, resting on it as he pulled her pants off of her hips, Vesper catching her breath as he kissed hickies onto her throat. He lowered himself to his knees, pulling her hips forward on the motorcycle seat, kissing the inside of her thighs as she ran her fingernails against his scalp, heat rushing to her cheeks as she watched him. He bit down gently, sucking as the soft sensitive skin on her inner thigh, and she knew there’d be a mark there in the morning. He made his way up, painstakingly slow, the action causing her to let out a whine, the sound making Jackie laugh against her skin, the feeling of his warm breath so close to where she needed him making her even more needy, her fingers curling into a fist in his hair. 

Finally he licked a stripe up over her entrance, the action causing her to let out a startled moan. Again he laughed, pulling back ever so slightly to look up at her, and the sight of him on his knees between her legs spurred her on, tugging at his hair, encouraging him further, eliciting a growl from him before he dove back in. He spread her lips with his thick fingers, pressing his tongue against her clit with earnest desire before pulling the sensitive nub between his lips. She felt herself jolt, her other hand going to grip the motorcycle seat for stability as she widened her legs for him, her breath catching in her throat as she gasped his name. One of his arms wrapped around her thigh, keeping her in place as he went to work on driving her crazy with his mouth, lavishing her clit in attention before pressing his tongue into her. She felt herself clench down, letting out a stuttered ‘oh’ sound as she rode each wave of pleasure that hit her. He hummed against her core, teasing her as she tried to press her hips forward more, tried to find more friction, her hand in his hair now vice grip. He drew out each lick, so slow she was sure he was torturing her, before she felt his fingers messaging her entrance, pressing only the tip of his pointer finger inside of her which caused her hips to jerk forward. He laughed against her clit, the feeling enough to make her cry out his name. He finally sunk two fingers inside of her cunt, the stretch was divine, and she felt herself clench down without even trying. He held her down with his free hand while he indulged in her, unbothered by her squirming around him as he fingered her, the rhythm he set was almost experimental, like he was testing her, exploring her. She felt her core tightening as she began to climb the rising wave of an orgasm.

“Fuck Jackie, please,” she whined. 

“Mierda, I need-- Fuck,” Jackie pulled back all at once, the action causing Vesper to let out a needy whine, feeling empty all of a sudden as he stood. 

He kissed her again, hard, his tongue pressing against hers as she tasted herself on his lips. He nearly picked her up off of the bike, barely allowing her to find her footing before settling her on a nearby desk, shoving all the odds and ends to the side as he did so. She pulled him against her again, this time working at his belt, his own large hands coming to help her, the urgency in his actions matched only by the intensity of his lips against her throat. 

He pulled her hips forward again, but this time it was more insistent, more needy as he curled over her, pulling her legs up around his hips as he pressed his forehead to hers. She felt the head of his cock against her entrance and could see the look of self restraint on his face as he held himself back for just a moment longer. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he said. 

Vesper met his eye, her heart stuttering at the utter affection she saw there, “So are you,” she whispered back. 

It was only a moment’s pause, but she felt like they had stayed like that forever, just the sound of their combined heavy breathing to fill the air, before finally Jackie pressed his hips forward, filling her in one quick motion, causing her to shudder with pleasure and satisfaction. She leaned back against the wall, arms resting on Jackie’s shoulders as he started to fuck into her, his hands coming to her hips to steady her as the desk squeaked beneath them. 

“Jackie,” Vesper whined, toes curling as he slowly picked up his pace, the moans and cries becoming more frequent with each thrust. 

She felt her cunt squeeze around him, so sensually tight and wet, she felt the build from before return, this time with a vengeance. She slid herself forward, matching his pace as his hips snapped against hers, more urgent with each swift motion. She took the opportunity to glance up at Jackie’s face, only to realize he was watching her with the same amount of adoration he had before. They held each other’s gaze as he fucked her, releasing her hips so that he could rub at her clit, the action causing her to curse under her breath, the other coming to the side of her neck, gently but firmly keeping her eyes on him. She could feel herself cresting, her body going rigid as she barely stuttered out a warning. 

“Cum for me jaina,” he said, still watching her intensely as she felt pleasure rush through her system. 

Her breath caught in her throat, half of his name catching with it as she finally came, she felt his own hips stutter as he fucked her through it, a string of Spanish leaving his mouth as he found his end. The two of them rode out their bliss together, basking in the afterglow as they caught their breath, the hum of the lights and sound of distant sirens coming back into focus as they both came down. After a moment, Jackie pulled back enough to press kisses against her face and throat, Vesper letting out a hoarse laugh as she wrapped her arms around him fully again as Jackie cupped her face.

“How’s that for killing time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Since 'jaina' is more of a term of endearment I'm gonna keep it instead of the new 'chica' that was put in game


	9. Bad Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support! I read every single comment and they always make me smile, I haven't had this kinda support in my work before and I'm just happy to make yall happy <3   
> This isn't proofread, I won't be able to get to that for a few days due to person stuff, but please enjoy

“Shit Vesper if you had told me it would be this easy to track this gonk down then I woulda done it two days earlier,” Rath slid the shard across the squat glass coffee table that sat at the back of the VIP lounge.

Vesper smiled, nodding to Jackie who shared the pink loveseat with her, letting him get a crack at the info first.

“That bad?” A wave of relief washed over them, even if it was small. 

“This guy has bad debts with as many gangs as there are in Night City, he’s probably calling in any and all money he can get his hands on. he’s got a small crew, an offshoot of the ‘Tinos, I would say you can probably tell him to fuck off and he couldn’t do much. Especially since it seems the gang won’t back him up if it’s his own shit he’s stepped in,” Rath took a drag from his cigarette, the blue smoke spilling out from between his porcelain lips. 

“Mierda, well that’s a relief, if he had just asked…” Jackie sighed, slumping in his seat beside Vesper who rested her hand on his thigh. 

“Listen honey, men like him don’t ask for anything, they take and take until there’s nothing left,” Rath said, his voice softening with sympathy, Rath wasn’t one of the highest paying joytoys for nothing. 

Jackie rested his hand on top of Vesper’s, intertwining his finger’s with her own before sighing, he knew it was true, he wasn’t naive like that, he just wished it wasn’t. 

“Alright, well, this will definitely help us get him off our ass,” Jackie said, Rath nodding as he took another drag. 

“Thank you so much Rath, here’s your fee,” she watched his eyes flicker blue before he relaxed back into the couch.

“Thank you for your kindness, love.”

The pair made their way out into the damp night air of Night City, ducking into Vesper’s small black Thorton Colby as the rain pounded down around them. 

“That was much better news than I was anticipating!” Vesper said, turning over the engine.

Jackie chuckled as he shook his head “still gonna have to tell him to fuck off, he’s not just going to go away on his own.”

“Well I still think we deserve to celebrate! At least have a drink with me?” She asked.

“Of course jaina,” he said with a laugh, the stress he had previously held in his throat had seemed to dissipate a little as they drove to Vesper’s apartment. 

“Good cause you’re buying,” she said with a grin. 

\---   
“It’s Bolts,” Jackie said, his eyes glowing the soft cyan as his holo chimed. 

He set down his drink, putting the call on speaker as Vesper leaned forward on her bed.

“Hey Jackie, got your message, I ain’t doing this over the phone, you want to talk it’s in person.”

Jackie glanced at Vesper, sitting across from her on the blue ottoman, she nodded, encouraging him to reply. 

“Fine, but I want it out of Valentino territory,” Jackie replied. 

There was silence, the two of them exchanging glances as they held their breath. 

“Fine. I’ll flick you the address.”

The line went dead and they both let out a sigh. 

“That went well,” Vesper said softly, testing his emotional waters. 

“Yeah, yeah it did, this should be over by tomorrow night,” he said rubbing his hand down his face, he still sounded stressed even after the drink. 

“I want to go with you,” Vesper said, reaching out and putting her hand on his knee, his head snapped up, the look of fear on his face was enough to tell her that he wasn’t keen on the idea. 

“No, no, that would be a bad idea,” he said shaking his head.

“You think I’m going to let you go and meet him alone? He could figure that he’s got nothing to lose, put a bullet in your head.” 

He chewed on his lip, he knew she was right, she could see it in the way he bobbed his head ever so slightly as he dropped his gaze to his feet. 

“Fine, but you stay back alright? He could just as well put a bullet in your head just to punish me,” he said, leaning forward, taking her hand and kissing the knuckles, it looked for a moment like he way praying. 

“He won’t even know I’m there.”

\---

Vesper had long since settled into her spot on top of the BD Shack, watching the back parking lot that had long gone dark since the sun had set, below the only streetlight was Jackie, sitting in the driver's seat of her car. They were antsy, Bolt was late, not by much, only 15 minutes, but it was enough to make them want to call the whole thing off. It was then there was the sound of a car, the engine roaring as if it were climbing a hill and not just rolling into a parking lot, but after a moment Vesper could tell why. Three frankenstein monster-esque trucks flew into the parking lot, brakes screeching as they came to a halt around Jackie. 

“It’s a trap!” Vesper called, grabbing for the gun at her hip and going for the ladder that led down to the pavement. 

Vesper lost sight of the lot as they dashed for the hole in the fence behind the business itself, but she was surprised that gunshots hadn’t immediately rang out. 

“Vesper stop!” Jackie’s voice got to her too late, before she could react a hand snagged her by her jacket, pulling her through the hole in the fence and into the arms of a hulking Maelstrom member, his face a hollow shell filled with red lights glowing behind a slightly opaque black mask. Vesper raised her pistol in a futile attempt to get free, but the ganger was nearly twice her size and easily wrenched it free of her fist. 

“Now that we’re all here, where’s the money?” A man with a synthetic voice demanded, he stood in front of Jackie, who seemed to have been persuaded out of the car by more thugs with guns. 

“My debt is with Bolts,” he said, voice hard, and for a moment Vesper saw that Valentino edge. 

“Bolts dead, and now it’s my turn to collect.”

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the parking lot, the words hanging in the air, thick enough to slice. 

“He’s dead?” Jackie asked.

“You hard of hearing? Bolts is dead, your debt to him is now a debt to me,” he said. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Jackie growled, folding his arms across his chest. 

“Craven, and I’m starting to think you didn’t bring any eddies,” his voice dropped low, the synthesizer becoming gravely as he stepped towards Jackie.

“I need more time, now that I know who the fuck I’m working with,” Jackie said. 

Vesper watched as he glanced her way, the ganger at her back still having a hand on her shoulder. Craven looked him up and down, shifting in his worn black trench coat, crossing his own arms, sizing Jackie up before speaking. 

“Fine.” 

Vesper let out a breath, looking to Jackie whose eyes had gone wide before he controlled his expression. 

“But,” the word made Vesper jump, her attention snapping back to Craven “the bitch comes with us.”

“What?” 

The next minute felt like a snap second, the man at her back moved quicker than she did, wrapping his arms around her waist in order to hoist her up. Vesper lashed out, kicking back into the legs of her captor, she could see Jackie reaching for his gun only to see one of the gangers strike him in the back of the head. His name bubbled up out of her throat, mixed in with screams of terror as he hit the ground, her throat clenching as she tried to breathe, it felt like she was drowning as she was carried away. She could see Jackie on the pavement, blood trickling down the back of his neck as he struggled to sit up, mouthing her name as she was dropped into the trunk of one of the Maelstrom’s cars.


End file.
